Imperialism/ World War I Study Guide
1. What was progressivism? How did this impact America in the early 1900s?
Progressivism was a reform movement in the late 1900’s in the United States, aimed at addressing social, political, and economic inequalities and inefficiencies caused by rapid industrialization, and urbanization,
Improved working conditions and child labor restrictions
Antitrust actions broke up monopolies, which promoted competition
2. What was meant by the term “muckraker”? How did this impact the Progressive Movement?
an individual who seeks to expose or reveal corruption of businesses or government to the public.
3. Who was Upton Sinclair? Why was he an important figure during the Progressive Era?
American muckraker who made books during the progressive era. He was an important figure because he exposed the cruel working conditions of companies.
4. Who were considered the “Progressive Presidents” at the start of the 20th century?
Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and Woodrow Wilson
5. What does the term Imperialism mean?
Imperialism is maintaining or extending power over foreign nations, particularly through expansionism, employing both hard power and soft.
6. What does the term Foreign Policy mean?
a government's strategy in dealing with other nations.
7. What were the major reasons behind the growth of American imperialism in the late 1800s?
Economic competition among industrial nations.
Political and military competition, including the creation of a strong naval force.
A belief in the racial and cultural superiority of people of Anglo-Saxon descent.
8. What effect did U.S. Naval Commodore Matthew Perry have on Japan?
9. What events led to the annexation of Hawaii in the late 1800s?
Was ruled by Queen Liliuokalani
U.S. wanted more land in the pacific
Hawaii is in the middle of the pacific
There were many white owned sugar plantations (land there was good)
(Sugar planters in Hawaii revolted against her because she tried to restore the monarchy's authority when many sugar cane planters wanted to sign a treaty with the United States that made their sugar more expensive.)
10. What was yellow Journalism? How did this impact the Spanish American War?
Writers exaggerated and made up stories to attract readers.
11. How long did the Spanish-American War last? Who Won?
April 21, 1898, to August 13, 1898 - United States Won
12. How did the Spanish-American War change the United States?
Showed the world that the United States were not some small country but very strong and showed military influence and strength.
13. What does the term nationalism mean?
An extreme love or sense of patriotism for one’s countries.
14. Who was Franz-Ferdinand? Why was he significant to the start of WWI?
Archduke Franz Ferdinand was the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne and the importance of Franz Ferdinand was that he was assassinated which is the main cause of the war.
15. What year did World War I Start? What year did it end? What year did the United States enter the War?
1914-1918
April 6, 1917
16. Why did the United States not enter the war right away?
America was isolationists that did not want to be apart of a war that they werent directly involved with and focused on growing itself.
17. Who was President of the United States during WWI?
Woodrow Wilson
18. Who was the lead commander of U.S. forces in Europe during WWI?
General John J. Pershing
19. Which countries made up the Allied powers at the start of the war?
The main countries part of the Allies were France, England, and Russia. (Triple Entente)
20. Which countries made up the Central Powers?
The main countries part of the Central Powers were Austria-Hungary, Germany, and the Ottoman Empire. (Triple Alliance)
21. Which alliance group did the United States join upon entering the war?
Allied powers
22. List two reasons why the United States decided to declare war on Germany in 1917?
Sinking of Naval Ship
Mexico trying to invade the US caught on the Zimmerman
23. What does the term Propaganda mean? Why was it significant to the war effort?
information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote or publicize a particular political cause or point of view.
This was significant to the war effort because it helped recruit more men into the war and united the nation as a whole for the same purpose.
24. What was the name of the most popular WWI propaganda song created by George Cohan?
“Over There”
25. What were the Espionage and Sedition Acts? How did this impact life on the home-front?
The people of the United States were removed from freedom of speech by the Espionage Act which limited the aid to the enemy, giving false reports, or interfering with the war effort. The Sedition Act was also made which made it illegal to speak against the war publicly which stopped people from talking in big protests and this clashed with the public's opinion.
26. What was the Selective Service Act of 1917?
The government made the selective service which required the ages 21-30 to register in the draft. This was good for many reasons, one was that this would ensure that there would be enough men to fight for the war
27. How did warfare change as a result of new technology and tactics used during WWI?
Due to the evolution to the arms race bombs and alterillery the warfare in WWI got even more gruesome and dangerous.
28. What was the “Spanish Flu”? How did this impact the end of WWI?
The Spanish Flu was a severe and deadly pandemic that occurred in 1918-1919, infecting about one-third of the world’s population and causing an estimated 50 million deaths around the world.
The flu spread quickly through military camps and among soldiers at the front lines, where close quarters and poor sanitation made containment difficult.
Both the Allied and Central Powers suffered massive troop losses due to illness, weakening fighting capacity.
29. When did the war end? Who officially won World War I?
November 11th 1918, allied powers won
30. What was the Treaty of Versailles? Why was this significant?
One of the five peace treaties at the Paris Peace Conference to end WWI …. “Formally ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers”
31. What were Wilson’s Fourteen Points?
The 4 main points were Free Trade, Open Agreements, Democracy and Self Determination.
32. What was the League of Nations? Why was this significant?
The League of Nations was an international organization established in 1920 as part of the peace settlement following the end of World War I.
This is significant because the U.S. Senate refused to ratify the Treaty of Versailles, leaving the League without a major power.
33. What was the Red Scare?
Anarchism, industrial unrest, and anti immigrant sentiment that lead to a crackdown against “radicals” in the immediate aftermath of WWI.